Spool for industrial thread



Sept. 8, 1942. G. w. KRENTLER SPOOL FOR INDUSTRIAL THREAD Fild April.24, 1939 3nventor- Patented Sept. 8, 1942 Gilbert W. Krentler,Lexington,

Dean & Sherk Company, Inc.,

Ky., assignor to Lawrenceburg,

Ky., a corporation of Michigan Application April 24, 1939, Serial No.269,685

1 Claim.

This invention relates, in general, to spools and, in particular, toimprovements in spools employed for holding industrial thread woundthereupon until such time as it is desired to utilize said thread.

A spool of the type to be described usually employs a spindle member anda collar member which are separably united, the thread being wound bythe manufacturer thereof in orderly fashion upon the spindle up againstthe collar so that the thread is readily and faultlessly unwoundtherefrom. The materials employed in the spindle and collar members areusually different for the reason that it is impractical to re-use thespindle and practical to re-use the collar, the material in the spindleusually being inexpensive cardboard or other similar material and thematerial in the collar usually being somewhat more expensive because ofthe rigidity desired thereof, such as sheet metal or other relativelystrong material. Therefore, after the thread has been used, the spindlemember is discarded and the collar member returned to the threadmanufacturer for a new unit. Because of the construction and type ofmaterial employed in the spindle, that waste or cost thereof which isrealized in the discarding thereof after use is negligible.

In order for the collar member, which is returned to the threadmanufacturer, to be reused, it is obvious that the returned member mustbe in substantially the same shape as it was in when shipped to theuser. This, however, is rarely the case because of the severe use towhich the spool is put while in the hands, in many cases, i

of inexperienced users. It is true that the collar member is made rigid,but the allowable cost thereof has not warranted said member to be madeso that it will withstand abnormal treatment, such as dropping same onthe shop floor or otherwise doing something to it which will damage ordistort its thread-carrying surface or its spindle-engaging section, itbeing remembered that a thread-spool unit weighs between one and twopounds, and it being appreciated and understood that slight damageeither to said surface or to said section removes all possibility ofre-using the returned collar member. Further, even though the collarmember is not reused, damage L to it during use will make diificult theremoval of the thread therefrom.

Therefor, the main object of the present invention is to provide a newand improved threadcarrying spool in which former objections thereto anddisadvantages thereof have been alleviated.

Another object is to provide a new and improved thread-carrying spool soas to enable the retention of its original shape under severe handlingconditions whereby the thread may be unwound therefrom in the sameorderly progression as it was wound thereupon.

Another object is to provide a new and improved thread-carrying spool,without materially adding to the cost thereof, which may be dropped orcarelessly handled without suffering any appreciable damage thereto ordeformation thereof.

Another object is to improve a thread-carrying spool employing an endbacking section, which may be re-used, so as to increase the life ofsaid section.

Another object is to improve a thread-carrying spool employing an endbacking section, which may be re-used, so as to increase the rigiditythereof without increasing the unit strength of the material therein orotherwise materially adding to the cost thereof.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become readilyapparent from a reference to the following specification taken inconjunction with the accompanying sheet of drawings, where- Figure 1 isan elevational view of the spool and showing the invention incorporatedtherein, the outline of the thread body to be wound thereon being shownin dot, dash lines;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through Fig. 1 and showing one'form of theinvention;

Fig. 3 is an elevational view looking from and toward the bottom of Fig.2; and

Figs. 4 and 5 are vertical sections, similar to Fig. 2, but showingmodified forms of the invention.

The spool illustrated in the figures is generally indicated at II) andcomprises, in general, a spindle l2 and a conical collar member or endbacking section I4. Spindle I2 is hollow to receive a rotating mandrel(not shown) so that a body of thread, shown in dot and dash lines inFig. 1 at l6, may be wound in orderly fashion thereon by the threadmanufacturer and unwound therefrom by the user. Spindle I2 is preferablycylindrical and constructed of material, such as inexpensive cardboard,so that same may be discarded after the thread l6 has been unwoundtherefrom and used in any manner desired. Spindle I2 is preferablyformed internally at one of its ends with a threaded portion H3 in whichis removably received a threaded neck portion 20 formed on and integralwith the conical member I4. It is to be noted that the material out ofwhich spindle I2 is formed is of no consequence to the invention herein,nor is the manner in which said spindle and the member I4 are removablyjoined together, it simply having been pointed out that said spindle ispreferably made of cardboard because said material is inexpensive andsufficiently rigid for the use to which it is put, and it simply havingbeen pointed out that said spindle and said member are threadedly joinedtogether because of the simplicity of providing such a jointure and theresulting positiveness thereof.

In order to provide a smooth continuity between the thread-carryingsurfaces of the spindle I2 and conical member I4, the latter is formedbetween its neck portion 20 and its conical portion with a planarshoulder portion 22, the outer diameter of said portion 22 beingsubstantially the same as the outer diameter of said spindle, and thebase of the threaded end of said spindle being operable for abuttingsaid shoulder portion, in assembly.

In view of the possibility that it may be desired to re-use the collarmember or backing section I4, and at least to make said member rigidenough to withstand the stresses exerted thereupon not only while thethread I6 is being wound on the spool II] but also while said thread isbeing unwound therefrom, said member is preferably constructed of sheetmetal or other similar material. At the base of the conical member I4there is supported an annular, sheet metal plate 24 which is provided atits a flanged recess 26 which receives said base and is pinched orotherwise secured thereto, there be- 'ing thereby provided an annular,triple-layered edge for the member I4, said edge being comprised of thetwo layers or walls of the recess 26 formed in the plate 24 and of theone layer provided by the base of the member I4 itself. Radiallyinwardly of this reenforced spool end edge I 4-26 the plate 24 is'annularly formed with a rib 28, such rib further strengthening saidplate and adding rigidity to said reenforced edge. Formed in the plate24 at its center and coaxially with the spindle I2 is an opening 39which is preferably reenforced therearound by an overturned flange 32,said opening serving to receive the aforementioned mandrel upon whichthe spool I0 is mounted while the thread I6 is being wound thereupon andunwound therefrom. The provision of the plate 24, its own reenforcementat the rib 28 and the peripheral reenforcement of the member I4 by the.recessed portion 26 provide a spool which can be dropped or otherwiseroughly handled without losing its original shape and without going toother than negligible expense to so improve the spool. It is possible toassemble a plate 24 similarly as shown onto an existing spool having anend backing member outer periphery with with an internal flange 34 whichprovides an an:

nular space into which is inserted and secured in any well known manner,such as by crimping or pinching, the flanged periphery 36 of an annularplate 38, said plate 38 being similar to plate 24in that said plate 38is provided with the rib 28, opening 30 and reenforcement 32, but beingdissimilar from said plate 24 in the provision of said peripheral flange36.

In the modification shown in Fig. 5, the collar 2 I4 and the plate 40are formed in one piece, the peripheral reenforcement of the free endbeing provided by the bent or doubled edge portion 42, and the rib 28,opening 30 and reenforcement 32 being provided similarly as in the firsttwo forms.

Any one of the three disclosed and described forms of the inventionprovides an inexpensive and absolutely rigid reenforcement for the endcollar member which radially supports the thread. on the spindle so thatthe spool can successfully withstand dropping and other abnormallysevere treatment and thereby maintain the thread in its exact pre-woundform and/or enable re-use of said collar member.

Although the invention has been described with some detail it is notintended that such detailed description is to be definitive of thelimits of the inventive'idea. The right is reserved to make such'changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts as willcome within the purview of the attached claim.

What I claim is:

An article of manufacture, comprising a frustro-conical base member, atubular threaded extension formed on the upper end of the base memberfor receiving a deformable core member, the lower edge of saidfrustro-conical member being slightly curved inwardly to provide anangular marginal edge portion, a disk secured to said marginal edgeportion within the confines of the lower edge thereof, said disk havingits marginal edge bent downwardly and upwardly around the marginal edgeof the frustro-conical base member, an annular reenforcing rib formed onthe base member and extending around an aperture formed centrally ofsaid disk whereby distortion of the base member will be minimized duringthe threading of the deformable core member into and out of said basemember, said central opening having its marginal edge bent upwardly andoutwardly in a direction parallel to the plane of the disk member.

GILBERT W. KRENTIJER.

